Welcome Home...THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY

iKnife Collector

The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel

Scale replacement of a factory pinned knife.

My Sweetheart asked me for a knife .. made my day !!!

Specifically .. she wanted a Doctor's Knife .. for the inherent pillbuster feature.

I showed her the ones I have .. a Kinsfolk (by Queen for Case) .. a couple Queen std # 96 .. a Case Baby Doc ..&.. the 2 A.G. Russell Small Doctor's knives. The A.G. Russell came out on top with the Case Baby Doc a close second.

However, she has a preference for natural wood scales. Which .. it turns out .. is not readily available in a small Doctor's Knife. There do exist some ..but.. an extremely limited selection .. at best. I and a couple members here (Thank you , Jan & Doug) verified this. SO0oo .. I decided to simply buy one with bone scales & replace the scales with Mahogany. Hence .. this project.

My wife chose a Remington R73 Mini Doctor's Knife as the starting point. Remington's knives are currently manufactured & private labeled for them by Bear & Son. She already has a Bear & Son Peanut as an EDC & is happy with the blade steel.

Also, the price vs quality is a deal.

I used a 0.125" end mill to remove the head of one side of the center backspring pin.

Which actually began forcing the pin out.

The pin (measured dia = 0.081”) was completely removed by using a 0.078” drill bit as a punch. The wooden mallet is one I constructed using the end of a little league baseball bat & a 0.750” dia wooden (oak) dowel.

This is the first time I've replaced the scales of a factory pinned knife. I've replaced scales before ..but.. always in a knife that used threaded fasteners & allowed complete disassembly of the knife. This will be a learning experience for me, i.e. FUN !!!

I'll document the process along the way by adding pics & comments as I progress.

Enjoy

D ale
.
.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV ... end result ... VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

4 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on July 2, 2016 at 10:35

Mahogany should look great on her knife, Dale.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 2, 2016 at 11:46

And .. I have it in stock !!

I picked up a "chunk" on sale @ Grizzlydotcom & have used some already .. it does come out looking pretty good.
That our thoughts too, JJ .. once sanded & waxed .. it should be a deep, rich, & dark brown.

J.J. Smith III said:

Mahogany should look great on her knife, Dale.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 2, 2016 at 12:04

Removed the scales with a 1/2" wood chisel & the wooden mallet.

I supported the ends of the knife ..then.. placed the chisel such that the flat side was next to the liner.

Gently tapped it with the mallet & the scales popped off intact with no damage to the liners.

There's some residual epoxy to remove from the liners.

..then..

I can start fitting new scales.

Permalink Reply by Ron Cooper on July 2, 2016 at 16:37

Amazing. Love the documentation. Especially love the homemade wood mallet!

That's gonna be a very cool Physician's Knife once it's completed.

A doctor's knife made by a knife doctor!

I think we'll have to start calling you the "Knife Whisperer," Dale!

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 3, 2016 at 12:03

I milled a flat surface on the Mahogany .. the surface that will end up mated with the liner. I then milled one end flat & square .. the end which will eventually mate to the front bolster. I then blanked out the scale material with a scroll saw ..&.. proceeded to mill the length to fit. The distance between the bolsters ..mark side vs pile side.. varies by 0.004". I marked & hand fitted each respective side for a firm press fit.

I then press fit each scale into it's intended final resting place .. clamped the whole arrangement in a small wooden vise I have for just these instances ..&.. drilled the required pin holes. I hand drilled them by placing the drill bit in a pin vise ..&.. used the existing holes in the frame / liners as a guide to insure proper alignment.

I'm fabricating a very simple mosaic pin for this knife. It consists of a 0.032" dia brass pin fitting tightly inside a 0.062" OD copper tube tightly fitting inside a 0.093" OD brass tube .. which I will then turn down to the 0.085" OD required for the center backspring pin. It will add to the personalized touch intended in a knife for my very dear spouse.

Permalink Reply by John Bamford on July 3, 2016 at 12:39

Great job Dale , you certainly are a craftsman my friend !

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 3, 2016 at 16:25

Thanks, John.

Given that this is for Abby .. I am putting in every effort to assemble a winner.

When I first met Ab ... she had zero interest in knives & was used to butter knife dull kitchen knives. Then, she met this guy who could literally carry a different knife ea day for over 3 yrs w/o a repeat. It had to freak her out a bit @ first. I mean .. literally .. over 1K.

However .. my interest (& hence the bulk of my collection) is old stampings. SO0ooo .. I've many knives w/ unique stampings ..but.. in pretty rough shape otherwise.

Now .. she just shakes her head when we go to her sisters' houses & the kitchen knives are .. butter knife sharp. (I do take care of that for one of the sisters that lives relatively close.) Also, Ab now has an EDC .. a retired EDC .. pretty fancy letter openers .. a rather unique utility knife ..&.. her own sharp eating utensil. SO0oooo .. when she made this request .. I'm going to give it some serious efforts :)

Thanks for the kind words !!!

John Bamford said:

Great job Dale , you certainly are a craftsman my friend !

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 3, 2016 at 19:09

After meticulously cleaning the liners of old epoxy & milling the mating surface of the scale perfectly flat .. I just trashed all that .. intentionally. Rather .. I just roughed up the surfaces to be epoxied for better adhesion.

The scales have been epoxied & pinned in place. The whole affair is "resting" for the night in a nice tight vice. I used Loctite IDH# 1393759 ..60 minute 2-part epoxy.The directions suggest leaving undisturbed for 3 hours .. full cure in 24 hours ..&.. that's what it will get.

I'll then mill much of the excess scale material away before using the belt sander to begin the finishing.

Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on July 3, 2016 at 19:26

Already like the look of the new scales, Dale.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by D ale on July 4, 2016 at 6:04

Epoxied & pinned in place.

Straight out of the press (vice).

Looking a bit rough at the moment

..but..

we've high hopes.

took these pics @ 5:30 AM

Just like me @ the moment

not clearly focused.

Enjoy the day

D ale

Permalink Reply by Ron Cooper on July 4, 2016 at 6:40

It's looking good and I have full confidence that it will turn out great.

It will be a unique one of a kind treasure for your lovely lady to cherish for many years.

Each time she holds it she will feel the love that your labour infused into this very special knife.

Kudos, Dale! I admire you dedication and ability.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 4, 2016 at 16:23

D ale,

It is coming along so nice! Abby may have thought the collection was a bt off when she first met you but I bet she is not good with dull knives any longer LOL.

The wood is beginning to take some shape as you fit it and I like how it is thick enough to give you the ability to make the center fit to Abby's hand. Since she has a specific use for this one, it may be slightly different than the fit of a different use